4-The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, April 10, 1996
Ue lrkiittnu &l j
420 Maynard Street RONNIE GLASSBERG
Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editor in Chief
Edited and managed by ADRIENNE JANNEY
students- at the ZACHARY M. RAIMI
University of Michigan Editorial Page Editors
Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All
other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
ROM THE DAILY
Passing the gave
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
'We have to let the process take its course. I hope
the issues in the negotiations can be resolved
as quickly as possible.'
- Regent Nellie Varner (D-Detroit), expressing her opinion about
GEOs work stoppage, which occurred yesterday and Monday
Jim LASSER SHARP AS TOAST
The life and
times of one
'
LAsTWDnTCH APPEAL
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New MSA leadership will
N ext week, the Michigan Student strength
Assembly will hold its annual chang- While th
ing of the guard - the term of President voting,i
Flint Wainess and Vice President Sam chair int
Goodstein ends. They will hand the gavel to future si
president and vice president-elects Fiona actively,
Rose and Probir Mehta. Rose and Mehta tunity to
are at a crossroads - they have the poten- member
tial to create a forceful, positive student Besi
voice on campus or to revert back to the sentativ
partisan bickering that often plagued the power t
assembly. on a dai
The assembly attempted to tackle many allocatio
issues last year, such as student health care the man
reform. However, time constraints, a failure MSA fu
to cultivate student interest and unexpected and Stu
activities - like University President verge u
James Duderstadt's decision to resign and fee." Th
the subsequent presidential search - left arate en
many issues unresolved. Herein lie the ciency a
challenges Rose and Mehta face. dent gro
One of the most pressing issues is the In ad
selection of a new University president. The proposa
bulk of this process likely will occur during childc
the summer, when few - if any - students Univers
will have a chance to voice their concerns the prog
about the proceedings. Though the current have anf
assembly worked to appoint student repre- child ca
sentatives to the search committee, it's not Over
enough; Rose and Mehta must do more Rose'sa
than simply keep abreast of .the search. studentR
They must stay connected with the student more th
representatives and voice student concerns platform
for the person that will most likely lead the were ele
University into the next century. ages oft
One of the greatest duties that Rose will Their pr
bear is to provide student representation to dents w
the administration. Rose and Mehta must provide
make obtaining a full student regent a top with the
priority, to give students the maximum rest of t
face challenges
and validity to their elected voice.
he position most likely will be non-
it needs to be more .than a silent
the same room as the regents - the
tudent regent needs to be involved
with the board and have the oppor-
make its voice heard as any other
of the board.
des being the chief student repre-
es, Rose and Mehta have substantial
o shape policies that affect students
ly basis, mostly in the area of fund
on. This year, Wainess proposed that
y separate student fees - including
ands, University Activities Center
dent Communications - all con-
nder one comprehensive "student
e fee would be allocated to the sep-
tities. This could create better effi-
nd prevent inequities between stu-
Dups.
ddition, a student-approved ballot
1 will allocate new fees to create a
care program. MSA and the
ity need to work out the logistics of
gram quickly. Many students would
easier time remaining enrolled with
re assistance.
rshadowing the other issues is
and Mehta's challenge to increase
awareness of MSA. It needs to be
han another bullet, on a campaign
n, as in the past. Rose and Mehta
ected by one of the smallest percent-
the student body in recent memory.
rimary task is to reach out to stu-
ho have little interest in MSA, and
substantial results. If the duo, along
rest of MSA, can achieve this, the
heir tasks will be easier.
Il
f1
t r' /
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Dying with dignity
Federal court strikes ban on assisted suicide
The red-hot issue of physician-assisted
suicide splashed across news pages
and television sets once again last week
when a federal appeals court in Manhattan
struck down a New York state law that
banned such suicides. The decision comes
on the heels of another appeals court deci-.
sion in California last month that struck
down a similar law in Washington state. As
more and more physician-assisted suicide
laws come under judicial scrutiny, the
Supreme Court should finally agree to
decide on the issue - and legalize such
procedures in every state.
The New York case began a few years
ago, when three physicians and their
patients sued the state for the right to die.
All three plaintiffs had terminal illnesses. In
1994, a federal district judge would not
grant the patients' and their doctors'
request, but the plaintiffs continued to push.
Then, last week, in a decision of broad
implications, the Second Circuit Court of
Appeals in Manhattan voted to overturn the
federal district court's decision, thereby
legalizing assisted suicide in New York. The
three patients since have died; the physi-
cians and their lawyers deserve commenda-
tion for continuing the legal fight.
In their decision, the judges posed sever-
al rhetorical questions that touched upon
the key issues at the center of the assisted
suicide debate. They wrote, "What interest
can the state probably have in requiring the
prolongation of a life that is all but ended?,
... And what business is it of the state to
require the continuation of agony when the
result is imminent and inevitable?"
The state should have no say in termi-
sovereignty. Instead, the government should
stay out of these personal decisions. The
state, with laws that ban assisted suicide,
cause more suffering and pain for patients
in the long run. Moreover, assisted suicide
allows people to die with dignity.
Terminally ill people can escape from an
imminently dreadful and painful life to die
in peace.
Proponents of the ban argue that allow-
ing assisted suicide may cause excessive
and unneeded deaths. Another concern they
hold is that legalizing assisted suicide will
open a Pandora's box and anyone looking to
commit suicide will have the chance to do it
peacefully - an ironic fear, since the right
to die is individual. However, choosing to
end one's life is a major decision, not one
reached lightly. Patients who' seek assis-
tance in their suicides usually have suffered
for a long time with a devastating illness.
Furthermore, most - if not all - doctors
will not want to aid a suicide unless the
patient is beyond hope of recovering;
hence, doctors will not abuse the law.
Legalizing the action will not necessarily
increase the amount of procedures done -
instead, it will make them legal.
The issue of doctor-assisted suicide will
.not go away. In Michigan, for example,
Oakland County prosecutors are currently
embattled in yet another trial to convict Dr.
Jack Kevorkian for assisting suicides.
Public opinion overwhelmingly supports
legalizing assisted suicide - legislators
should listen to the voters who send them to
power. Ultimately, the Supreme Court will
have to decide on this issue, and the Court
should consider taking up the issue within
8th-grade
students wait
in line for
education
TO THE DAILY:
Never before have I seen
such neglect on the part of a
reporter and a newspaper to
investigate and research past
the end of their noses into a
story. I am referring to the
story about Ms. Metz waiting
in line for her daughter, Liza,
to be accepted into
Community High ("Local
residents reach the end of the
Line," 4/2/96).
I am so glad so many
University students are able
to help Metz and Liza.
However, had Will
Weissert or the editor been
interested, there is a much
larger and more deserving
story to be told here.
There was a photographer
at the Ballis Building to take
a picture, and yet the reporter
did not notice a startling fact
at the Ballis Building line.
Many of the people in line
for Community High School
are not parents, adults or
kindhearted volunteers; they
are 8th-grade students.
Yes, you righteous, chari-
table University volunteers;
8th-grade students taking
control of their own educa-
tion for their own benefit.
These students have missed
school for at least two weeks;
they have kept up with their
classwork, they have slept in
vans, tents and cars (left by
their parents) in temperatures
as low as five degrees.
These students have the
determination and persever-
ance to remain in line
because they understand it is
their responsibility to be in
line if Community is the high
school they feel will best
accommodate their needs.
Thank God their parents are
willing to see this as an
opportunity for students to
show an interest in their own
education and allow them the
opportunity to become
mature young adults.
After all, how many
University volunteer students
will be needed to hold Liza's
hand when she applies to col-
leges in four years, possibly
to be placed on a waiting
list?
AMY L. HORNBURG
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Theft will
catch Daily's
attention
To THE DAILY:
I am a graduating senior
and therefore, I have read my
The Daily staff was not
listening last week, but now
that their precious newspa-
pers are gone, the staff may
be a little bit more willing to
examine their attitudes
toward minorities on this
campus.
P.S. I am not from Long
Island.
AMY BETH KLEIN
UNIVERSITY ALUM
Censorship
music sgreatest
geniuses
M ozart was borniin 1756. After
traveling around Europe on dis-
play, as it were, as a child prodigy.
Mozart was
employed by
Archbishop
Colloredo of
Salzburg. Having r
assimilated dur-
ing his youthful
travels virtually
every style of
music and being
keenly aware of
his genius, JORDAN
Mozart felt stifled STANCIL
in Salzburg.
He moved to Vienna in 1781 and took
up residence as a free-lance composer.
Despite assuring his father that his
financial prospects were bright,
Mozart did not receive a permanent
position from the court until the very
end of his life.
Although he managed to attract a few
pupils, it appears that his financial
position was grim, that he had, in fact,
little prospect of obtaining any court
appointment and that he knew this.
Presumably - for it is impossible to
say for sure - he was attracted to
Vienna because it was, as it still is, "an
intensely musical city," where people
of every class and rank, from Emperor
to chambermaid, were regularly
involved in some sort of music-mak-
ing or listening. Mozart planned to
exploit this situation by performing his
own piano music in Vienna, which he
excitedly dubbed "Piano-land."
Mozart's social circle included
enlightened members of the aristocra-
cy and the bourgeoisie. He renewed
his acquaintance with Cointess Thun,
whom he had met during an earlier trip
to Vienna. In the period immediately
following his move to Vienna, he visit-
ed hei house, by his own account,
"almost every day." Countess Thun ran
something of a salon for enlightened.
aristocrats and government officials.
One observer noted in 1784 that
"everyone with any knowledge and
opinion gives (the countess) praise;
the Emperor, Kaunitz (the chancellor),
English people staying here, often visit
her circle." As evidenced by this com-
ment, the social, cultural and intellec-
tual worlds of the government, the
aristocracyaand the bourgeoisie over-
lapped to a certain extent during the
1780s.
Mozart 's life began
with little hope of earn-
ing a living in music.
m
SHANNON N. WOOD h
LSA SENIOR arms al
JAP' column
offensive
TO THE DAILY:
Kate Epstein's piece in
Monday's Daily ("Crossroads
of oppression: The JAP,"
4/8/96) was extremely offen-
sive. While seemingly written
with the intention of dis-
pelling a damaging ethnic
stereotype, it actually perpet-
uated it.
I'm terribly sorry if
Epstein grew up feeling con-
tempt for people based on
their geographical origin (the
suburbs) or the clothing they
wear. Calling it "fairly legiti-
mate" to resent people
because of their greater mate-
rial- fortune is nonsense.
So is the implication that
the disparity among income
levels is more obvious at the
University than in other
places. So is the notion that
women are the only con-
sumers in this nation. And no
one, not the women of Long
Island or anyone else, is a
good target for scapegoating.
A common target, maybe.
But good? I beg to differ. I
take issue with statements
like, "We all hate the women
of Long Island because ...r
they're rich."
Include yourself, Kate,
but do not think you can
speak for all people.
Also, contrary to
Epstein's belief, not all Long
Islanders are Jewish, even if
there is a large Jewish popu-
lation in New York. Nor are
all Long Islanders rich.
(While I'm at it, I might add
that not all rich people are
"refined.") And although
Jews may have historically
been accused of monetary
greed, this is not to say that
we actually are greedy.
I will not go into a long
explanation of the reasons
Jews were forced into
moneylending occupations
for many centuries, but it is
important to make a clear
distinction between stereo-
type and reality. The editors
of the Daily should also
know never to presume that
one's readers share one's
assumptions.
I certainly agree with
Epstein that "so long as we
accept the hidden presence of
misogyny and anti-Semitism,
they are perpetuated." But I
am dismayed that she (did
not have) the discretion to
realize that her words directly
TO THE DAILY:
While the stolen edition
of the Daily was one of the
darkest moments in free
speech at this campus ever,
Friday, March 29's was one
of the brightest. I applaud the
Daily for taking the coura-
geous stand in favor of the
First Amendment.
Too often, the feckless are
intimidated by the wolf criers
of racism. They are afraid to
be called racist so they
appease any illegitimate
activity. Racism is a legiti-
mate problem.
But, flippant hyper-exag-
geration mocks legitimate
claims. Certainly racist views
exist at this university, but it
is not a racist institution. If it
were, who would go here?
Unless someone can produce
Duderstadt at a Ku Klux
Klan meeting, we should
believe the best of people.
Are we going to create an
environment where anyone
who cries racism, whatever
the merits are, can have dic-
tatorial control? Are we
going to let the arrogant few
profess to "represent" their
communities?
A university is a pillar of
academic freedom; of often
tumultuous thought and con-
troversy. It's where young
people sort out their values,
their goals and their beliefs.
Nothing should stand in the
way. Do not appease those
who robbed us all.
JONAThAN WINICK
LSA JUNIOR
Bowen's
reviews are
well written
TO THE DAILY:
I am writing to say how
much I enjoy Eugene
Bowen's music reviews and
writing in general.
I would also like to tell
the editors that I miss L.
Kenyatta Spence's articles a
great deal. Although it has
been a couple of years since
he was published in the
Daily, I still miss the depth of
thought that went into his
unique brand of social com-
mentary. With him, the Daily
was a much better, more
thought-provoking publica-
tion. It would be great to read
his work again.
C
Mozart was also acquainted with the
master of Zur wahren Eintracht, Ignaz
von Born. Born was a mineralogist
and, for a while, a writer. He wrote an
anti-clerical pamphlet "which
painstakingly classified the various
orders of monks on the evolutionary
scale, in the hitherto unfilled space
between the higher apes and man."
As master of Zur wahren Eintracht,
Born used the funds of the lodge to
support writers and musicians, includ-
ing Mozart. Politically, Born does not
appear to have been anything other
than a supporter of enlightened abso-
lutism, and after the emperor's consol-
idation order, he left the lodge.
On religious matters, however, Born
appears to have been somewhat more
radical. "Happy we are, honoured
Brothers, to think of the Freedom and
Equality of natural law as the true
foundation of our honorable Lodge,
and that in our free and spiritual
republic we have no Pope."
Mozart, who was thoroughly devout
in both sentiment and practice, proba-
bly would have been uncomfortable
with such opinions.
In a letter, he wrote about the cen-
trality of the ritual of worship in his
relationship with his wife, Constanze:
"... for a considerable time before we
were married we had always attended
Mass and gone to confession and
received Communion together; and f
found that I never prayed so fervently
or confessed or received Communion
so devoutly as by her side; and she felt
the same. In short, we are made for
each other; and God who orders all
things and consequently has ordained
this also, will not forsake us."
When his wife became ill just before
they were married, Mozart prayed for
her recovery and pledged to God that
he would compose a celebratory mass
if his prayers were answered. This was
no idle promise.
Mozart wrote: "Concerning the vow.
it is quite true ... I have really
promised it in my innermost heart, and
A
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